Railroad-crossing signal



A. MENNEN. RAILROAD CROSSING SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

1 NV EN TOR.

ANTONE MENNEN', 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

RAILROAD-CROSSING SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Application filed. September 29, 1919. Serial No. 327,262.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTONE MENNEN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukeeand State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad- Crossing Signals, of which the following is a'description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in signals, and refers more particularly to a signal adapted'to be located adjacent a railroad crossing to indicate the approach of a train. My invention has for one of its objects to provide a railroad crossing signal of the class described which will have means for displaying a signal located adjacent the crossing when an approaching train is at a point remote therefrom and which will have means for rendering the signal inoperative when the train has passed the crossing.

Another-object of my invention is to provide means operated by a member carried by the locomotive of a train for operating the signal displaying devices.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a panel member disposed alongsideof a railroad track" at a'point remote from a crossing and adapted to be engaged by a membercarried bythe train locomotive to display a signal located adjacent the crossing, said flap only operating the signal when struck by a train appreaching the crossing.

A further object-of thep'res'ent invention is to provide a panel member disposed alongside of a "railroad track a comparativel-yshort distance from a' crossing and adapted to'be struck by a member carried by the train locomotive to render the signal located adjacent the railroad crossing inoperative, said panel rendering the signal inoperative only when struck by a train locomotive coming in a direction from the railroad crossing.

With the above and other objects in vie which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodimentof my invention constructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a railroad equipped with my railroad crossing signal, parts being broken away and in section.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View of my invention, and

Fig. 3 is a detail view'illustrating one'of the operating panels and the locomotive carried member for operating the same.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral 5 designates a suitable signal or indicator which may be either audible or visible, an ordinary electric light being shown in the drawing for the purpose of illustration. The signal 5 is preferably mounted upon a support 6 fixed to the upper end of a supporting standard 7 located adjacent a railroad crossing, see- Figs. 1 and 2.

The signal 5 is connected with an electrical circuit 8 which is controlled by a switch member 9 connected by means of cables 10' and 11 with suitable signal controlled members, to be later described. The signal operating devices each include a supporting standard 12' having a transverse or laterally projecting top 'piece 13 provided with a pair of depending spaced apart cars 14 between "which is pivoted the upper end of a panel member 15,'having an extension or flap 1'6 h-inge'dly'connected thereto by hinges 17. The hinges 17 are so arranged that-when theextension 16 is moved from one side, the same will form a rigid part of the panel 15, and when moved from the other side, will pivot at its hinges 17 and not move the panel 15.

One of the operating members is disposed adjacent the railroad track 18 at a point remote from the railroad crossing and has its panel 15 so arranged that when the flap or extension 16 carried thereby is struck by a projecting arm 19 carried by a train locomotive -20 approaching toward the crossing, the same will be rigid with the panel 15 and move the same on its pivot. The panel 15 of the operating device located remote from the crossing has secured thereto adjacent its upper end, as at 21, an arm 22, to the upper end of which is secured the cable 10, so that when the flap 16 is struck by a train approaching the crossing, the upper end of the arm 22 will be moved to the left, with reference to Fig. 1, and the switch arm 9 will be moved to engage with a contact 8 to 1close the circuit 8 and display the signa 5.

I The other signal device is disposed adjacent the railroad track 18 at a position to the other side of the railroad crossing but nearer thereto than the other signal operating device and has its flap 16 connected with the panel 15 so that when the same is struck by the arm 19 of a train locomotive coming in a direction from the crossing, it will form a rigid part of the panel 15 and move the same on its pivot. The cable 11 is connected to the panel 15 of said operating device at a point'beneath its pivot, as at 23, whereby the switch arm 9 will be movedto the right with reference to Fig. 1, and the circuit 8 broken when the flap 16 is struck by a train coming in a direction from the crossing and one complete operating device is employed for each track, so that a train approaching from either direction will operate the signals.

. What I cla1m as my invention 1s:

1. A rallroad crosslng signal of the class described comprising a signal located adjacent the crossing, a signal operating member disposed alongslde of the railroad at a polnt remote from the crossmg and including a standard, a panel swingingly supported therefrom, a flap hingedly connected to, the lower end of the panel and capable of movement on its hinges only in a direction from the railroad crossing whereby a train approaching the crossing will strike the flap and move the panel and a train coming in a direction from the crossing will upon striking the flap move the same on its hinges, and connections between the panel and signal for operating the signal when the panel is moved by a train approaching the crossing striking the fiap.

2. A railroad crossing signal for warning of the approach of a train comprising an indicator located adjacent a railroad crossing, a standard arranged alongside the railroad at a point adjacent the crossing and having an arm overhanging the railroad right of way, a panel member having its upper end swingingly secured to said arm, a connect ing line having one end connected with the indicator and its other end connected with said panel beneath its connection with said arm for displaying the indicator when the panel is operated, a second standard arranged alongside the railroad on the side of the crossing remote from the first mentioned standard and having an arm overhanging the right of way, a panel having its upper end swingingly secured to said arm, a vertical arm having its lower end secured to said last mentioned panel and its upper end disposed above the swinging connection of said panel, a connecting line having one end secured to the upper end of said vertical arm and its other end connected with the indicator whereby the indicator will be rendered inoperative when the panel is struck by a train coming from the direction of the crossing, and means whereby said first mentioned panel displays the indicator only when struck by a train approaching the crossing and the other panel renders the indicator inoperative only when struck by a train coming from the direction of the crossing, said means including supplemental panel flaps connected to the lower ends of said panels and capable of movement on their hinges in only one direction and adapted to be engaged by a train carried member.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ANTONE MENNEN. 

